Bombings halt youth exchange programs<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Dozens of Australian and Canadian youths have expressed
\ndisappointment over the cancellation of two separate youth
\nexchange programs following the bomb attacks in Bali on Oct. 12
\nand South Sulawesi late last Thursday.<\/p>\n
Dewa Diarta Nidha, chairperson of the youth and sports
\ndivision at the Bali education office, said on Sunday that around
\n40 Australian and 20 Canadian youths had to cancel their visits
\nto Bali next month following the deadly bomb blasts.<\/p>\n
He said the youths would have attended exchange programs with
\ntheir Indonesian counterparts in the Bali area of Kamasan,
\nKlungkung, for three months previously scheduled to start this
\nmonth.<\/p>\n
\"The cancellation is related to the bombing tragedy in Kuta,
\nBali,\" Dewa told Antara in the provincial capital of Denpasar.<\/p>\n
Australia and Canada issued travel warnings to their citizens
\nagainst visiting Indonesia after the Bali terror attack that
\nkilled over 190 people and injured some 300 others, mostly
\nforeigners.<\/p>\n
Dewa expressed the hope that the cancellation would only be
\ntemporary in nature until after security in Bali started
\nrecovering.<\/p>\n
At least 20 other Canadian youths, who were on a similar
\nthree-month program which began early in October in Bangli, Bali,
\nhad to abandon the resort island before their program started.<\/p>\n
Also, a separate group of 18 Australian students aged between
\n18 and 21 would have left for Indonesia on Dec. 9 to attend the
\nAustralian-Indonesian Youth Exchange Program (AIYEP).<\/p>\n
They were scheduled to stay for two months with Indonesian
\nfamilies at Bulutana village, close to the South Sulawesi capital
\nof Makassar which was rocked by a bomb blast last Thursday which
\nkilled at least three people.<\/p>\n
The cancellation of AIYEP was decided by the Australia-
\nIndonesia Institute (AII) in compliance with the warning issued
\nby Canberra on its citizens from traveling to Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"We are extremely disappointed with the cancellation as we
\nhave made preparations for several months to join this program,\"
\nDavid Saxby, an AIYEP participant from Sydney, told Antara in
\nCanberra.<\/p>\n
He added that his fellow would-be participants felt the same.<\/p>\n
David Reeve from the University of New South Wales, along with
\nhis classmates, admitted that the cancellation of the program was
\nmade on the basis of \"safety considerations\" due to the travel
\nwarnings.<\/p>\n
\"I doubt it is actually that dangerous, but as a person
\nresponsible for his students I have to be cautious and
\nresponsible,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Deputy chairman of the Australia-Indonesia Association (AIA)
\nS. Supomo, who is a lecturer at the Australian National
\nUniversity, concurred with Reeve and urged the Australian
\ngovernment to lift the travel advisory as the security conditions
\nwere getting better, despite the two recent bomb attacks in
\nSulawesi.<\/p>\n
An Indonesian diplomat in Canberra, Imron Cotan, called for
\nthe revocation of the travel advisory in order not to hamper such
\na cultural program.<\/p>\n
\"We ask that the travel warning for Indonesia be scrapped
\nbecause it is no longer relevant with the security situation in
\nIndonesia,\" he told Antara.<\/p>\n
He cited a positive stance taken by other countries such as
\nJapan and European countries by scrapping their respective travel
\nadvisories to maintain bilateral ties with Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Despite the absence of their Canadian counterparts in
\nKlungkung, 20 Indonesian youths were planning to go ahead with
\nthe cultural program.<\/p>\n
\"But they will stay in Bali only for two days to visit tourism
\nsites before continuing their travel to Makassar,\" Dewa said.<\/p>\n
Last year, a similar program with Canada was also called off
\nfollowing public threats by Muslim militants here to round up and
\ndetain any and all Westerners following the Sept. 11 terrorist
\nattacks in the United States.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bombings-halt-youth-exchange-programs-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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